Armed with a stiff jab and a punishing right hand, Tavares cruised
to a unanimous decision over former Deep middleweight champion
Riki
Fukuda at
UFC on Fuel TV 8 on Saturday at the Saitama Super Arena in
Saitama, Japan. All three cageside judges scored it for Tavares
(10-1, 5-1 UFC), as “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 11 semifinalist
recorded his third consecutive victory.

Scores were 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27.

Fukuda (19-7, 2-3 UFC) pursued the Hawaiian throughout the
15-minute match, only to be met and turned away repeatedly by a
stinging jab. Tavares mixed in right hands to the head and body,
leaving visible damage on his 32-year-old counterpart’s face.
Fukuda never established a foothold in the bout, as he had no
answer for his opponent’s well-honed counterattack.

Mizugaki Earns Split Verdict Over Caraway

Takeya
Mizugaki leaned on stout combinations and his trusted left hook
in earning a split verdict against “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 14
semifinalist Bryan
Caraway in a competitive undercard matchup at 135 pounds. All
three judges cast 29-28 scorecards, two of them for Mizugaki
(17-7-2, 4-2 UFC).

Caraway (17-6, 2-1 UFC) had his moments, particularly in the second
round. There, he dropped Mizugaki with a right hand, nearly
finished him with a mounted guillotine choke and later threatened
with a rear-naked choke. Mizugaki dodged those bullets and paired
his strong first round with an even better third. Over the final
five minutes, the 29-year-old Japanese standout wore down Caraway
with a series of left hooks and solid work in the clinch.

Mizugaki has recorded back-to-back wins for the first time since
December 2008.

Tokudome Shuts Down Marcello

Timely takedowns, effective ground-and-pound and a third-round
knockdown carried Pancrase veteran Kazuki
Tokudome to a unanimous decision over “The Ultimate Fighter”
Season 15 alum Cristiano
Marcello in an undercard clash at 155 pounds. All three judges
arrived at the same verdict: 30-27 for Tokudome (12-3-1, 1-0 UFC),
who posted his seventh win in eight appearances.

Tokudome assumed top position in all three rounds, short-circuiting
the Brazilian’s vaunted guard with purposeful punches and stellar
submission defense. He floored Marcello (13-5, 1-2 UFC) with a
crisp right hand in round three and pounced for the finish. Though
Marcello survived, the volley sealed his fate on the
scorecards.

‘Bruce Leeroy’ Edges Newcomer Kang

“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 12 quarterfinalist Alex
Caceres rode a strong third round to a controversial split
verdict over Road Fighting Championship titleholder Kyung Ho
Kang in a preliminary bantamweight duel. All three cageside
judges scored it 29-28, two of them siding with Caceres (9-5, 4-3
UFC).

Kang (11-7, 0-1 UFC) appeared to control the first 10 minutes with
repeated takedowns, some mild ground-and-pound and stellar
submission defense. However, Caceres turned the tide in round
three, where he drove the South Korean newcomer to the ground with
punches, threatened him with various chokes and mounted him in the
final minute.

The 24-year-old Caceres has won his last three fights, two of them
by split decision.

Emboldened by a three-inch height and six-inch reach advantage, Lim
(11-3-1, 1-0 UFC) pecked away at his foe with jabs and leg kicks
through much of the first round. The 28-year-old South Korean
scrambled to his feet after a double-leg takedown from Guimaraes in
the second and timed the Brazilian’s next attempt with beautiful
precision, connecting with the bout-ending knee.